I Thought What I'd Do Was... [Open]

[standalonehuman]

When: 2/10 and onwards, night time.
Where: Togusa's office or apartment.

Togusa has been, for lack of a better term, jumpy. Not only is he suffering from the dual-sided effects of whatever this new effect is? But now, he is trying to avoid people. Difficult when he is being driven to be as helpful as possible. But every time he looks up at someone, he will flinch, at first, looking at their face, before he can focus on them.

It's driving him to be even more reclusive at night time, picking his office most often to hole up with his notes. Or sometimes going home to spread out across his coffee table. The extra copy of Catcher In The Rye is always open, nearby, to a specific page.

Part 25: "Just so people didn't know me and I didn't know anybody. I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."

He needs to talk to James. And to Mariko. But how does he bring this up to Mariko so late? She has her own problems to deal with right now.

Whenever he stops paying attention, a certain image keeps getting doodled onto whatever piece of paper is nearby.

Comments

[standalonehuman]

Togusa blinks, Shuji's words snapping him out of his daze, and he looks down at his hand with a surprised stare. Right. Rest. He wants to rest. "Yes. Rest. Um, sorry."

Catching Togusa between making a promise and trying to put his nose to the grindstone is a harsh bind. He goes to lay back down and lets his eyes drift closed again.

This time, he gets a helper. Daisuke finds his little block to hop up onto, and hauls himself onto the couch. His hand rests on Togusa's arm, and his tail thumps once.

[thesettingsun]

Daisuke is a good boy. Shuji makes a mental note to give him treats later.

This time, Shuji doesn't touch the book. (He can check Spark Notes if he has to.) Instead he goes through Togusa's personal notes again. Does he have anything written down on his own memories that might provide some context?

Belatedly, it occurs to Shuji that this might be a bit invasive. But Togusa gave him permission, so he probably won't get mad about it...

[standalonehuman]

The big change comes in Togusa's notes from about a week ago. Togusa's notes are usually just like his mind, organized, meticulous, very explanatory so that when he goes back to read them, he can put himself right back in the mindframe that he was in at the time.

But a week prior, everything gets disjointed, even his handwriting is rushed. A mish-mash of rushed English and kanji sometimes, whichever characters got the ideas out faster. And it's all interspersed with the same symbol again or other quotes from the book. "You know what I'd like to be? I mean if I had my choice?" And then sometimes he seems to come out of it, realizing. 'Why is this so important to him?'

[thesettingsun]

A week ago. Shuji knows things have been strange since a week ago for him too, when he heard that monkey's cry. So that's when this confusion started.

Thankfully, Shuji can read the kanji now, otherwise he'd be all kinds of confused. But that still doesn't immediately give him a picture of what the symbol means and why Togusa's seeing it. He scans Togusa's notes for a few things: talk about people disillusioned with society, possibly criminals. Graffiti. People who are actually handicapped.

If he has to slap Togusa with a paper full of his theories about the connections to get him to go to sleep, so help him, he will do that.

[standalonehuman]

Boom. There it is. Togusa wrote down about a memory he got back, just two days ago. A young man in a wheelchair, but when Togusa really thinks about his face, all he can remember is that logo. He knows the kid had a face. His memory of the boy was that he was completely normal. But that's what he remembers.

There are some other notes about an incident he thinks it was connected to. 'Other-Togusa was undercover. That's why the Big Guy wasn't around when he fought that full-conversion. What was that place, a hospital?'

No longer fiddling with the book seems to keep Togusa asleep. Still not the most restful, but he remains down.

[thesettingsun]

Good. Stay down if you know what's good for you, Togusa.

A young man in a wheelchair connected to the logo... "I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes." Someone pretending to be handicapped to avoid society? But why would they have a logo to paste on things? In particular, why would it be haunting Togusa this badly?

Togusa's memories are connected to cybernetics, so it could be someone who communicated mostly online... That's a bit of a stretch, but it would explain the symbol being more clear than the actual face, to an extent. If the symbol is more important.

Shuji does another scan of Togusa's notes, looking for mentions of any criminals or otherwise important figures who weren't seen in person. Cyber crimes, or just people who communicated strictly through the internet.

[standalonehuman]

Three words pop up again and again. 'The Laughing Man.' Togusa even makes a note that this is the title of a different Salinger short story. Apparently the symbol is his logo, and this is clearly the big Thing Togusa is trying to figure out.

But tying it together is proving difficult.

The Laughing Man was apparently a kidnapper, but an important enough kidnapper that the case was considered unsolved for six years. He's put together enough of a timeline to know that the other Togusa was on the original case, then got recruited to Section 9, but got back on the case when his former partner contacted him. Yamaguchi, the partner's name, and unfortunately, Togusa also knows he has died.

'Kidnapped the owner of a micromachine company. Yamaguchi was found with micromachines in him monitoring all of his movements. Was the company involved? Why was this guy so important?'

[thesettingsun]

Sorry, Togusa, Shuji is taking notes on your notes now. At least he's doing it in a corner so they don't get confused.

Laughing Man = logo = boy in wheelchair = logo more important than face
wheelchair = disability = hiding from society (in hospital?)
hiding = unsolved case
unsolved case + partner died = other Togusa's focus = seeing the logo everywhere
(other Togusa also super stressed. you two are way too alike there.)
if kidnapped owner of micromachine company, then access to micromachines, then able to monitor the person on the case trying to find him
if monitoring person trying to find him, then can't be caught

salinger references = trying to get back at society/authority? unsure how much micromachines = authority, will ask you when you wake up
haven't actually read the laughing man

[One trip to Wikipedia later...]

masks major theme in laughing man
mask = logo = can't remember face
possible result of micromachines?
is micromachines removing memories or senses a thing

And now he takes a look for mentions of micromachines controlling people's senses or memories. He'll be here a while, but at least Togusa's still sleeping.

[standalonehuman]

Hilariously, that idea leads to a personal note. Togusa details that Yoon-Sung the self-proclaimed rich jerk hacker cracked his cyberbrain's security. The resulting prank was a harmless one, but it showed Togusa that he could be hacked. (He follows it up with a note that Yoon-Sung has installed a firewall of his own company's design to prevent this happening again.)

But it's brought up a lot of questions. If the micromachines can send a signal out, someone could track Yamaguchi with them? Can someone send a signal in? And literally change what you see and hear? There is a note of it happening to androids in the other Togusa's world. But only guesses that it could happen to him.

[thesettingsun]

Shuji makes a mental note to punch Yoon-Sung if he ever meets him. That one he's not writing down.

android brain not too different from human brain
signals firing cause feelings and thoughts etc etc
if signals can go out, signals can theoretically go in

signal blockers already exist here
(receptor antagonists I think??)
micromachines just more complicated versions

other togusa vulnerable to hacking + signals
if memory of seeing logo everywhere
then current togusa sees logo everywhere

That seems like a reasonable theory, at least for tonight. Now all he has to do is stick around and make sure Togusa doesn't try to get up and back to work.

[standalonehuman]

As time passes, Togusa settles into a deeper sleep, his body finally winning the fight for rest, sinking into relaxation into the couch. Was it enough that somebody did the work, even if it wasn't Togusa? Perhaps that was one answer.

When Shuji finishes his theory, the book flips itself closed, as if it was just brushed closed by the rush of air from the heater turning on. Togusa lets out a gentle snore shortly after.

Boof. Daisuke's ears are perked up, and he looks between Shuji and the table.

[thesettingsun]

It's a victory that Shuji will take, no matter how weird it was. He doesn't know that this is the correct answer, but it's an answer, and it's put Togusa to bed.

With his note-taking done, Shuji takes the time to give Daisuke some pets. Good boy. Best puppy.

[standalonehuman]

Daisuke is the happiest puppy, rolling into all the attention. Eventually, he will get back up and head towards Togusa's bed, his own favorite sleeping spot, open if Shuji is intent on staying the night.

Normally, Togusa is an early riser, but not the next morning. He stays passed out straight through, past the odd pseudo-eclipse of sunrise, into the morning. Daisuke starts to take action again, going over to the couch to nose at Dad. If I'm hungry, you've got to be hungry, too.

[thesettingsun]

Shuji steals a pillow from Togusa's bed and takes a nap on the floor. It's not the most comfortable place to sleep, and he does wake up earlier than normal, but this way he'll know if Togusa gets up in the middle of the night.

Or if Daisuke tries to get him up. Shuji picks Daisuke up as soon as he can and carries him to the kitchen. He'll feed you breakfast, so don't bother Dad, okay?

...He just has to find the dog food first, but it can't be that hard to locate.

[standalonehuman]

Daisuke lets out a single whine before he is resigned to his fate and dramatically flops into Shuji's arms. It turns out everything is easy to find in Togusa's kitchen, he is as organized here as he is at the office. Daisuke has a whole setup in the corner of the kitchen. Doggie dish and water bowl and a bag of jerky treats on a shelf out of reach. Daidai isn't the most mobile dog, but for those treats? He'd try it.

The cans are easy to find with a doggie food-radar in hand, who stretches out and starts nosing at the pile of dog food tins.

There is plenty for both dog and human, while Togusa stays passed out for a little longer.

[thesettingsun]

"Good boy. Since you helped so much getting Togusa to stay in bed, I'll reward you."

Shuji fills up Daisuke's food bowl first, then gets down one (1) jerky treat and holds it out for him.

"Don't tell Dad I gave you this, okay?"

Not that Daisuke can actually understand him, but still. Shuji will consider him sworn to secrecy.

[standalonehuman]

Boof. Agreed. If he tattles on Shuji then he can't puppy eyes Togusa when he wakes up to get double treats. Daisuke stretches up to lick the treat out of his hand before he starts chewing on it, and both paws come to play with it. Treat first, then breakfast.

[thesettingsun]

Eat the treat first to dispose of the evidence. Solid plan.

With the pup looked after, Shuji returns to the table to wait for Togusa to wake up on his own.

[standalonehuman]

It doesn't take long. Tired as he is, Togusa does still work on a regular schedule. Eventually, one breath is deeper than the last, and Togusa's head rises up off the pillow. What a good sleep, but why is he on the couch? He blinks a few times, confused, before stretching.

Togusa's eyes widen when he sees Shuji. "Shuji. You- you stayed all night?" Concerned, but the smile on his face is very touched.

[thesettingsun]

"Of course I did. Had to make sure you didn't wake up in the middle of the night and try to go back to work. ...Plus your dog would've woken you up early if I didn't feed him."

Dogs truly are some of the most relatable animals.

"I took some notes on your notes, I hope that's okay?"

[standalonehuman]

"Shuji.." Togusa smiles more, and he feels like he can't emphasize this enough. "Thank you." He reaches out a hand towards him, to put on his hand or shoulder. "Anything's okay."

Not everybody would have done this. Another deep breath and Togusa rolls his shoulders out. "Can I at least treat you to breakfast? I feel. Really great. Better than weeks."

[thesettingsun]

Shuji takes Togusa's hand to give it a squeeze. "Breakfast sounds great. No talking about theories and memories until after breakfast, sound good?"

[standalonehuman]

Togusa nods firmly. "Mm. Breakfast first." He stands up to go to the refridgerator, because he is pretty insistent on making breakfast, if Shuji helped him out so much last night.

He grabs a few eggs and some rice, a quick stir fry for breakfast, then sets up the coffee maker. He is followed through the kitchen by a very hopeful Daisuke, staring up at him.

[thesettingsun]

Shuji will allow him to make breakfast by himself, just trailing behind rather than insisting on helping out. He doesn't think Togusa would let him anyway.

"Daisuke was very helpful last night getting you to stay on the couch."

Daisuke is now Shuji's second favorite after Isamu.

[standalonehuman]

Togusa peers down at Daisuke. "Was he now?" Boof! With a happy tail-wag.

"Somebody's going to need a treat, then, if he can wait until after I'm done here."

Daisuke sits down patiently, staying in one spot to watch Togsua putter around the kitchen.

"Coffee or tea? I've got.. a lot of tea." A lot a lot. The top shelf of his cabinet is filled with all different kinds of boxes.